Cycling's Mark Cavendish has this week made the internet buzz with a video of him stopping mid-race to converse with a spectator at the side of the road on the second stage of the 2016 'Tour of Britain' road race.

It is reported that a road side spectator on the second stage of the race had been shouting abuse at the riders, and as a result, it is said that Cavendish dismounted and questioned the heckler whether or not he could do better.

With general spectators and keen cycling enthusiasts alike being able to get so up close and personal during road races, it is easy to see how some of them may get a little bit too carried away, and feel the need to voice their opinions.

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In this case, it was not helpful and ended up costing time for a disgruntled Cavendish.

It is not the first incident to have hindered the time of Cavendish during this year's Tour of Britain.

He was denied victory in stage one of the competition after he was involved in a crash that led to a pile up situation at the final corner of the stage, before the sprint finish.

Other riders involved in the pile-up were Australian rider Caleb Ewan and Elia Viviani of team Sky, who's bike was snapped in two as a result of the accident.

Mark Cavendish, riding for the Dimensions Data team in the Tour of Britain, has had a long and successful association with the sport of cycling.

You can see the altercation in the video below, and despite the commentator stating it seems friendly, others are suggesting otherwise.

He is well known within the world of on-road stage racing, which he started back in 2006, but before his days on the road, he excelled as a track cyclist, competing in events such as the Madison, points race, and scratch races.

In all the years of his professional career in cycling, Cavendish has amassed a huge wealth of honours, including 30 individual stage wins at the Tour de France, 15 individual stage wins at the Giro d'Italia, and a whole host of World Championship medals.

His World Championship honours include: gold in the road race event at the 2011 UCI Road World Championships in Copenhagen, three gold medals in Madison events, and a gold medal in the Scratch race at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.